Boulevard Oaks, Houston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
Boulevard Oaks Historic District
|
|
Boulevard Oaks street sign
|
|
Location | Roughly bounded by North and South Boulevards between Parkway and Wilton. Houston, Texas United States |
---|---|
Area | 56 acres (23 ha) |
Architect | Watkin, William Ward; et al. |
Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
NRHP reference No. | 02000117 |
Added to NRHP | February 22, 2002 |
Boulevard Oaks is a cool neighborhood in Houston, Texas. It's located north of Rice University and south of a big road called U.S. Highway 59. This area was mostly built in the 1920s and 1930s.
Boulevard Oaks is special because it has two historic districts. These are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are called Broadacres and Boulevard Oaks. A group called the Boulevard Oaks Civic Association (BOCA) helps manage all the different parts of the neighborhood.
Contents
History of Boulevard Oaks
The Boulevard Oaks area grew over about 20 years. During this time, 17 different communities were built. In 1980, the Boulevard Oaks Civic Association was created. This group helps manage all these different areas together.
The National Register of Historic Places officially recognized the Boulevard Oaks Historic District. This happened on February 22, 2002. This historic district is located within the larger Boulevard Oaks neighborhood. It is generally found between North Boulevard, South Boulevard, Hazard Street, and Mandell Street.
Neighborhood Layout
Boulevard Oaks is made up of many smaller areas called subdivisions. These include Chevy Chase, Edgemont, and Ormond Place. Other parts are Broadacres, Vassar Place, and Ranch Estates.
You can also find North Edgemont, West Edgemont, and West Ormond Place. Cresmere Place, Cherokee, and Vassar Court are also here. Greenbriar Addition, Keithly Place, Sunset Court, Sunset Place, and Sunset Estates are part of it too. Cheyne Walk, Hermann Hospital Estates, and Wroxton Court complete the list. Some parts of the O. Smith Survey are also included. The Simon and Mamie Minchen House is also located within Boulevard Oaks.
Schools in the Area
Students in Boulevard Oaks go to schools in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Poe Elementary School is right in the neighborhood. It's located in the Chevy Chase subdivision.
After elementary school, students usually go to Lanier Middle School. This middle school is in the nearby Montrose neighborhood. For high school, students attend Lamar High School. Lamar High School is located in the Upper Kirby neighborhood.
There are also private schools nearby. Presbyterian School is a K-8 private school in Houston. For high school, St. Agnes Academy and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory are options. K-12 private schools like St. John's School in Houston and The Kinkaid School in Piney Point Village are also available.
Parks and Fun Activities
The Vassar Spaceway Park is a great spot in Boulevard Oaks. It became a city park in the late 1980s. For a while, the park had problems with water not draining properly. This caused standing water to collect.
The Boulevard Oaks association worked to fix this. They received $5,000 in grant money from the City of Houston. This money helped them create a plan to improve drainage. It also helped make the park look nicer.
Boulevard Oaks in Movies
You might have seen Boulevard Oaks in some movies! It appeared in Terms of Endearment from 1983. The neighborhood was also featured in Rushmore from 1998. Other films include Sidekicks (1992) and My Best Friend is a Vampire (1988).
In Rushmore, Ms. Cross's temporary home is on North Boulevard. Mr. Blume and Ms. Cross also walk down North Boulevard in the movie. In Terms of Endearment, Garrett Breedlove and Aurora take a walk down North Boulevard too.
Local News
If you want to read about what's happening, the Houston Chronicle is the main newspaper for the area. There is also a local newspaper called the West University Examiner. This paper is given out in the community.